M61 and M60 reopen after coach carrying 30 schoolchildren and teachers bursts into flames
The M61 and M60 reopened this morning after a coach carrying schoolchildren caught fire on a motorway slip road, closing the route overnight.
The blaze engulfed the coach on the M60 slip road at Swinton Interchange in Salford on Wednesday evening.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said there were more than 30 children and a number of teachers onboard when the coach suddenly caught fire.
The force said it was "the sort of call we really dread", but added that all passengers and the driver were “safely evacuated”.
Emergency services raced to the scene and traffic was halted for hours, while six fire engines and their crews tackled the blaze.
The northbound M61 was closed between junctions 1 and 2 for the M60 before it was reopened shortly before 1am.
GMP said Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, North West Ambulance Service and National Highways also attended the scene.
The road was shut for several hours so recovery and clear up works could take place after a coach fire, National Highways said.
An investigation is under way to establish the cause of the fire.